Closings

Severe Weather

Waltham Police Officer arrested for pornography claims he was doing research

Published On: Mar 27 2013 08:19:22 AM EDT

WALTHAM, Mass. -

The veteran Waltham police officer charged with receipt of child pornography acknowledged he received and sent photos and videos, but claimed he was doing it for research in an attempt to “identify perverts online,” our news partners at Wicked Local/Waltham reported

Following an investigation, Paul Manganelli, 46, of Waltham, was arrested Monday by the FBI. He was ordered held at his initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Tuesday afternoon.

Manganelli faces between five and 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He is being held by U.S. Marshals until his detention hearing on Thursday morning.

Manganelli acknowledged to FBI Special Agent Eric Slaton that he was never tasked by the Waltham Police Department to conduct research on child pornography and that over the two to three years he was involved, he never once reported any of the illicit activities he observed online, according to the criminal complaint.

The investigation began in February 2012 when police in Queensland, Australia, arrested an Australian citizen who was distributing child pornography, according to the complaint. After requesting information from multiple email providers, police found 111 unique email accounts connected with the Australian’s that had been accessed from within the United States, the complaint said.

After a review of one of the addresses in connection, the FBI found communications between it and another account, later identified as belonging to Manganelli, according to the complaint. Between Dec. 30, 2011, and Jan. 3, 2012, there were about five communications sent between the two accounts with images of child pornography.

In one communication, Manganelli wrote that he loves pictures of younger children and that he wished there were more naked girls, “like 11 yrs old as they are my favorites,” the complaint said.

A search warrant was executed on Manganelli’s email account that revealed about 1,230 emails had been sent between February 2012 and January 2013 containing child pornography, according to the complaint.

Manganelli wrote to an email account in the Netherlands that he “adores” girls between the ages of 7 and 11, the complaint said. He also wrote that he browsed pictures of children almost everyday. According to the complaint, in one correspondence, he wrote, “I admit it I am addicted!”

Manganelli’s email account was connected with an online photo and sharing website called iMGSRC, which according to the complaint is used to view and trade child pornography.

The FBI was able to identify Manganelli after Yahoo provided his user information. The FBI tracked him down, verifying his identity through Verizon records, his DJ business and his car registry, according to the complaint.

During an interview, Manganelli stated that his “investigation was outside his duties for the Waltham Police Department…Manganelli was never assigned or authorized by the Waltham Police Department to conduct any type of online or undercover investigations concerning child pornography,” the complaint said.

Manganelli’s attorney, Peter Bella, asked Judge Leo Sorokin that his client be held separately from other people in detention because he is a police officer. Sorokin did not order it, but said that since it was the U.S. Marshals’ job to keep all detainees safe, they should be made aware of the fact that Manganelli is a police officer.

Manganelli has been a Waltham police officer since May 1993. He is currently on paid administrative leave from the department, according to Waltham Police.

The Waltham Police Department is working in cooperation with the FBI. The department said it will not comment on whether or not there have been any past discipline issues, saying they are “personnel matters.”

“The allegations are disgusting and my thoughts are with his family,” said Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy. “I feel there are a lot of dedicated police officers who shouldn't be negatively impacted by this.”

Acting Police Chief Keith MacPherson said in a statement that Manganelli’s actions were his own and put some distance between the department and the officer.

“The alleged off-duty conduct of one employee is not a reflection of the Waltham Police Department as a whole. The Waltham Police Department is dedicated to continuing the professional service that the city of Waltham has grown to expect and deserve,” MacPherson said. “We continue to protect and serve the community, while maintaining the continued high professional standard that is expected of every one of our officers.”

Manganelli, who is also a DJ, is the owner of P & M Sound, a DJ'ing company based out of Waltham.

Copyright 2013 by WCVB.comAll rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.

"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" opened to an estimated $56 million at the U.S. box office over the weekend. This total was the second-best "Mission: Impossible" opening ever, just missing out on the $57.8 mil...